Lion Custom Image

I am trying to create a custom image (including Office, Acrobat, bind to AD, add user, etc) and I can't quite figure it out. We do not have OS X server. I've been fooling around with Deploystudio and our company has Absolute Manage. I've also used the system image utility and I can't get the thing to boot. I'm going to use an external hard drive to store my image.

If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'd really like some sort of walk through or step by step directions. Thanks in advance.

I am trying to create a custom image (including Office, Acrobat, bind to AD, add user, etc) and I can't quite figure it out. We do not have OS X server. I've been fooling around with Deploystudio and our company has Absolute Manage. I've also used the system image utility and I can't get the thing to boot. I'm going to use an external hard drive to store my image.

If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'd really like some sort of walk through or step by step directions. Thanks in advance.

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My answer assumes you have all the requisite licenses in place. You can use CarbonCopyCloner to make a bootable copy of any OS X volume. You can then clone that partition to a new users' Mac or put it back after somebody leaves the company. This was frowned on my MS a few years back but they finally caved in given the 2.5+ hour install times involved in getting Windows onto a PC. Things are much better in the OS X world but CCC is better still. Of course some software from adobe and MS requires activation so you are on your own figuring that bit out and on that topi I refer you to my first sentence.

Yes we have site licenses for all the software I want to put the macs. I have looked into CC but does that work for all types of machinces (iMac, Macbook Pro/Air)? If I were to buy Apple Remote Desktop or Apple Server, would one of those help to create images?

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